Spain's 15 most beautiful seaside towns
Our Spain expert introduces 15 of the country’s most enchanting seaside towns.
1. Cadaqués
Girona province, Catalonia
Salvador Dalí was just one of many artists seduced by the dazzling light of this whitewashed harbour town on the Costa Brava. Drift around the lanes in a battered straw hat and espadrilles and you’ll fit right in. Spend your days diving or hiking around the wild Cap de Creus headland then explore the galleries, boutiques and gastrobars in the evening.
Nearest airport: Girona (52 miles).
See our pick of the best hotels
2. Sitges
Barcelona province, Catalonia
The citizens of Barcelona like to pop down to stylish Sitges for lunch by the beach at any time of year. One of Spain’s top gay resorts in summer, it is also rich in art and architecture, with museums including Cau Ferrat, which was the home of artist Santiago Rusiñol and contains paintings by El Greco and Picasso.
Nearest airport: Barcelona (16 miles).
Inside ME Sitges Terramar, Catalonia’s chicest new beach hotel
3. Peñíscola
Castellón province, Valencia
With a walled old town topped by a castle on a peninsula, it didn’t take much to transform this family resort into the city of Meereen for season five of Game of Thrones. On the Costa del Azahar – the Orange Blossom Coast – north of the city of Valencia, its long beach with shallow water is ideal for small children.
Nearest airports: Castellón-Costa Azahar (31 miles), Reus (83 miles).
4. Altea
Alicante province, Valencia
Blue-tiled domes glitter in the sunshine and flowers tumble over white walls in the old part of Altea on the Costa Blanca. Set on a hillside but right by the Mediterranean, the town is a labryrinth of cobbled lanes and tiny squares. Come here to eat paella on a shaded terrace and buy pretty pottery and paintings – lots of ceramicists and artists have studios here.
Nearest airport: Alicante (44 miles)
See our pick of the best hotels in Alicante
5. Mojácar
Almería province, Andalucía
Whitewashed houses are piled like sugarcubes on a hill above a 10-mile strip of sand in this laidback resort on the Costa de Almería, where the view spans the Tabernas desert as well as the Mediterranean. Nearby, explore the volcanic landscapes and pristine beaches of the Cabo de Gata nature reserve.
Nearest airport: Almería (51 miles).
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6. Nerja
Malaga province, Andalucía
At the eastern end of the Costa del Sol, Nerja has managed to hang onto a lot of its character despite being a popular holiday resort. Take in the view of the Mediterranean from the clifftop Balcón de Europa esplanade and don’t miss the Cuevas de Nerja, a spectacular cave complex just outside the town. A subtropical climate means it is often warm enough to eat outside in winter.
Nearest airport:Malaga (50 miles).
See our pick of the best hotels in Malaga
7. Tarifa
Cádiz province, Andalucía
Boho bars and boutiques line the lanes in this walled town with a Moorish castle on the Costa de la Luz on the tip of southern Spain, where the Mediterranean meets the Atlantic. This is one of the best places in the world for windsurfing and kiteboarding, with miles of magnificent beaches and views across to Africa.
Nearest airport: Gibraltar (26 miles).
See our pick of the best hotels in Tarifa
8. Combarro
Pontevedra province, Galicia
Granite granaries on stilts – known as hórreos – border the waterfront of Combarro in the Rías Baixas, the coastline indented with deep inlets in the west of Galicia in northern Spain. Come here to eat mussels and octopus, visit wineries and drink Albariño as you watch a spectacular sunset.
Nearest airports: Vigo (22 miles) and Santiago de Compostela (50 miles).
See our guide to the best hotels in Galicia
9. Cudillero
Asturias
Pastel-painted houses are packed onto the hillside behind the harbour in this fishing village in Asturias in northern Spain, where the lanes are lined with bars and restaurants serving superb seafood and the local cider. Some of the best beaches in Spain, such as Playa de Aguilar, are a short drive away.
Nearest airport: Asturias (nine miles).
See our pick of the best hotels in Asturias
10. Comillas
Cantabria
At the end of the 19th century, the Marqués de Comillas brought Gaudí and other Catalan art nouveau architects to his home town on the Bay of Biscay in Cantabria to create a string of extraordinary buildings. With splendid beaches and the Oyambre nature reserve a 20-minute drive away, it is hardly surprising that Comillas is a top pick for Spaniards for their summer holidays.
Nearest airport: Santander (32 miles)
See our pick of the best hotels in Cantabria
11. Lekeitio
Vizcaya province, Basque Country
One of only a handful of official slow towns in Spain, Lekeitio in the Basque Country is a former whaling port where fishing is still an important part of daily life and women sit on the quayside mending the nets, just as they have done for centuries. Watch the day’s catch being landed then try traditional Basque dishes at a waterfront restaurant.
Nearest airport: Bilbao (43 miles).
See our pick of the best hotels in the Basque Country
12. Port de Sóller
Mallorca, Balearic Islands
Protected by the Tramuntana mountains in the north west of Mallorca, Port de Sóller is a chic, low-key resort with a fan-shaped bay where wafting along the prom in white linen is de rigueur. The sea is usually pretty calm here so it is a good place to have a go at yoga on a paddle board, should the fancy take you.
Nearest airport: Palma (22 miles)
See our pick of the best hotels in Sóller
13. Fornells
Menorca, Balearic Islands
A lot of people – including the Spanish royal family – go to the harbour village of Fornells just to eat caldereta de langosta – the lobster stew for which this rather smart fishing village on the north coast of Menorca is famous. With a sheltered location on a long bay, it is a popular choice for learning to sail, kayak or dive.
Nearest airport: Mahón (18 miles).
See our pick of the best hotels in Menorca
14. Garachico
Tenerife, Canary Islands
On the north coast of Tenerife, Garachico was the main port on the island until the Trevejo volcano erupted in 1706, pouring lava into the harbour. Grand merchants’ houses, convents, churches and elegant squares survived, however, while a lava lido was created in the volcanic rock.
Nearest airports: Tenerife Norte (32 miles) and Tenerife South (40 miles).
See our pick of the best hotels in Tenerife
15. Puerto de Mogán
Gran Canaria, Canary Islands
With canals running between the low-rise white buildings adorned with bougainvillea, Puerto de Mogán is reminiscent of both Andalucía and Venice. Brightly-coloured boats bob in the marina, which is framed by attractive restaurant terraces. This immaculate resort in the south of Gran Canaria may lack history but it is certainly not short of charm.
Nearest airport:Las Palmas (33 miles)
